Green Chemistry utilizes a set of principles that reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and application of chemical products. Rather than focusing on the reduction of chemical waste and exposure, green chemistry seeks to prevent pollution by reducing or eliminating chemical hazards through the replacement of hazardous substances with less or non-hazardous substitutes. In summer 2008, the author attended the cCWCS Green Chemistry Workshop supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), held at the University of Oregon to learn about green chemistry in education and how it might be incorporated into the  chemistry curriculum. Being granted a sabbatical leave subsequent to the workshop, he developed/adapted green and computational experiments that led to the complete conversion of the organic laboratory curriculum at Mt. San Antonio College to green chemistry. Experiments were adapted from multiple resources such as the Green Education Materials (GEMs) at the University of Oregon and the Journal of Chemical Education. The use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Infrared (IR) instrumentation was expanded to several of the new green experiments as another result of this project. Computational labs using <i>Spartan</i> molecular modeling program were also developed and incorporated into the renovated organic laboratory. The new curriculum teaches traditional organic laboratory skills, while at the same time teaches the principles of green chemistry, identification of waste, hazard reduction, and solvent reduction or replacement to emphasize environmental and green concepts. More recently, the author has started to use the ACS “Real-World Cases in Green Chemistry” in the second semester of the GOB course to introduce the principles of chemistry to a broader population of students. This presentation will provide insights into the strategies employed, the challenges faced and the successes that resulted from this project. Examples of green experiments from the new curriculum will also be presented.<br/>

Incorporating green chemistry into organic chemistry laboratory curriculum: Strategies, challenges and successes

2019 Spring National Meeting

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